Joined
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15 Posts
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME WITH BEES!!!
I installed my packages and direct released my queens last tuesday into our 2 home made Michel bush desinged top bar hives,When I put the bees in I also put inside each hive a inverted 1 qt mason jar filled with sugar-water 50-50,, ,I have been wacthing the hives sevral times a day and the seem to be very very active,,thursday and friday I noticed a few bees flying into each hive carring pollen,,,I attended my first bee club meeting friday night and was told if the bees are carring in pollen the queens are alive and laying,,,,yesterday I opened each hive to re fill the feeders and was hopeing to see if the ladies are building straight comb,,,in both hives the bees were clusterd in the middel of the hive body and kinda on the sunny side wall and on about 4 bars in a big ball,,,,I left them alone in fear of damaging alot of bees,,,,BUT,,,I dont know what they are doing in that ball and if they are making comb glued to the hive wall,,,, looking for suggestions:
1-Should I just start pulling up the bars the bees are on and having a look?
2-should I leave them alone till they have had more time to spread onto more bars then take a look?
I was going to stop feeding them as soon as I saw sealed brood BUT I cant see the sealed brood unless I get into the ball
I have sevral bee books that I have read and read ALOT on this forum but I have not seen a top-bar book that would cover this and my mentor dosent do in top bars so any intput would be greatly appricated, Thanks,Parker
I installed my packages and direct released my queens last tuesday into our 2 home made Michel bush desinged top bar hives,When I put the bees in I also put inside each hive a inverted 1 qt mason jar filled with sugar-water 50-50,, ,I have been wacthing the hives sevral times a day and the seem to be very very active,,thursday and friday I noticed a few bees flying into each hive carring pollen,,,I attended my first bee club meeting friday night and was told if the bees are carring in pollen the queens are alive and laying,,,,yesterday I opened each hive to re fill the feeders and was hopeing to see if the ladies are building straight comb,,,in both hives the bees were clusterd in the middel of the hive body and kinda on the sunny side wall and on about 4 bars in a big ball,,,,I left them alone in fear of damaging alot of bees,,,,BUT,,,I dont know what they are doing in that ball and if they are making comb glued to the hive wall,,,, looking for suggestions:
1-Should I just start pulling up the bars the bees are on and having a look?
2-should I leave them alone till they have had more time to spread onto more bars then take a look?
I was going to stop feeding them as soon as I saw sealed brood BUT I cant see the sealed brood unless I get into the ball
I have sevral bee books that I have read and read ALOT on this forum but I have not seen a top-bar book that would cover this and my mentor dosent do in top bars so any intput would be greatly appricated, Thanks,Parker